Black-headed Gull Identification
Its scientific name is 'Chroicocephalus ridibundus', from the family Laridae (order Charadriiformes).
What I look like
The Black-headed Gull is slightly larger than a pigeon.
It has a beautiful wingspan of about 1 meter.
It has a small head, a long neck, and a short tail.
In breeding plumage, it is recognized by its chocolate brown hood (which does not cover the nape)…
with a white crescent around the eye.
In winter plumage (non-breeding), it loses its hood and retains only a few dark spots…
near the eye and ear with a faint dark band.
The upper body is light gray.
The underside is white.
The wings are gray with the leading edge white and the tips black.
Its pointed wings are reminiscent of terns.
The tail is white.
Beak and webbed feet are red with a black tip on the beak.
Bright red in winter…
Dark red during the breeding season (breeding plumage).
It takes 2 years for the Black-headed Gull to acquire its adult plumage.
In flight, two age classes are noticeable (the first years in various stages of molts and the adults).
The juvenile has the upper body and wings marked with dark brown patterns.
With more or less dark variations depending on the individual.
Its tail is white with a black terminal band.
During the first winter, the back lightens, but the juvenile's wings and tail are retained.
As well as its yellowish beak and legs.
During the first summer, the black hood appears, but the wings and tail still resemble those of a juvenile.
The Black-headed Gull can be confused with the Mediterranean Gull which has a black hood extending down to the nape in summer …
and in winter, this hood disappears leaving a diffuse dark mask (like a "domino mask").
On the left, a Mediterranean Gull, on the right, a Black-headed Gull.
My songs, my calls
The Black-headed Gull has a repertoire of varied calls.
It is often heard in noisy colonies.
Its calls are hoarse "kria".
It sometimes repeats raspy calls, giving the impression of laughing "kria kria kria".
Immatures produce plaintive sounds.
How I behave
It lives in colonies (feeding and sleeping in groups).
They can be seen following fishing boats or plows in search of food.
They also gather in roosts (often a lake or pond sheltered from terrestrial predators).
Opportunistic, it eats whenever it finds food.
while walking...
while swimming...
while diving...
while flying...
It has a fast and active flight and uses the air to glide and soar.
When it's windy, it positions itself horizontally, facing the wind, with its head tucked in.
How I reproduce
The Black-headed Gull nests in large colonies.
From late February to mid-March, they join their breeding sites inland (freshwater, brackish, or saltwater environments).
They nest on the edges of ponds, lakes, and estuaries…
The male defends his territory and threatens intruders with specific postures (in the air or on the ground).
Nests are spaced from one to several meters apart depending on the size of the colony.
During courtship displays, the male and female stand parallel to each other.
The male regurgitates food for the female before mating occurs.
The nest is built on the ground, sometimes on clumps of vegetation, sandy islets, grassy areas, or rafts.
It is a shallow cup lined with vegetation.
The chicks have a mottled dark down, which serves as camouflage in case of alert.
From the first hours of life, they can enter the water and hide in the vegetation if there is danger.
In the nest, the chicks are fed by regurgitation from the parents.
What I eat
The Black-headed Gull is omnivorous and opportunistic.
It feeds on mollusks, small fish...
insects, worms, plants, and sometimes garbage.
It changes its capture methods according to the region, season, available prey, and its preferences.
It scours the ground at low height, with tail feathers spread to stop easily.
It also catches insects in flight at higher altitudes with flexible wing beats.
When swimming, it extends its neck to capture prey…
or by a sudden immersion of the front of its body.
It also uses kleptoparasitism. It steals prey captured by other birds by chasing them in flight.
Sometimes, it stomps the ground with its webbed feet to make the ground vibrate and bring out worms.
Where to find me
In winter, the Black-headed Gull lives in various coastal habitats.
near estuaries, coastal waters up to the port...
and even in cities (in urban parks or on balconies).
It is sedentary and migratory.
It is sedentary in the northern half of France.
In France, in winter, it mainly concentrates on the western and southern coastal regions.
Its breeding range is vast. From Western Europe to Eastern Siberia.
In winter, its range expands. As a partial migrant, it goes as far as the Mediterranean basin and even to Africa.
It can live for about 30 years.